The Sixties

The sixties seem to be extremely important when talking about music in America. Elevated racial tensions, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr., and the US involvement in the Cold War and Vietnam War made for an era of expression. During this time, a number of new styles of music emerged, which is probably because musicians had a lot of inspiration and frustration that stemmed from the issues in the country. Musicians wrote and performed all different kinds of music, from escape songs to protest songs, which made the sixties a decade of musical diversity. "The Twist" started a new dance style which was oriented to rock and roll-minded teens, while Phil Spector wrote songs that were sweet and focused on vocals. Motown became popular in the sixties, which combines soul music and doo-wop. The Beach Boys was another band that was very different than any other kind of music because their lyrics centered around California, surfing, and sun, and they had a very unique sound. And of course, the British invasion added to the diversity of American music. Folk music, San Francisco rock, and Jimi Hendrix also contributed to American music. The sixties were perhaps the most diverse years in music in this country because there were several types of genres of music that were all influenced by each other but also very distinct. There was a kind of music for everyone during this time.